Valve for pressure cookers



S. L. BERRY. VALVE FOR PRESSURE COOKERS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 1?. 1920.

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SENECA. LUCIEN BERRY, OF SUNNYVALE, CALHOR-NTA.

VALVE FOR PRESSURE GOOKERS.

Application filed ma 17, 1920. Serial no. 381,814.

Be it known that I, Snnnoa LUOIEN BERRY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Sunnyvale in the county of Santa Clara and State of alifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valves for Pressure Cookers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that part of pressure cookers which passes the cans of fruit, vegetables or other food into and out of the tank wherein the cooking or processing takes place. Some articles of food may be properly cooked by steam at atmospheric pressure while others, notably vegetables, require the higher temperatures which accompany steam under greater than atmospheric pressure. In the latter case it is necessary to provide some means of passing thecans into and out of the tank without permitting the steam pressure to be dissipated. It is well known that a definite temperature accompanies each unit of pressure of saturated steam, and that the maintenance of a fixed pressure insures a fixed temperature. I Y V The object of my invention is to provide such means, of simple construction, so arranged that the various temperatures to which the difi'erent parts are exposed will not prevent smooth, certain actionand supplied with packing means to prevent the loss of pressure in the cooker.

The. mechanism by means of whichthis object is attained is fully described hereinafter and shown in the drawings, in which Fig. l-is a cross sectionof a valve embodying my improvement and shows its relation to the mechanism of the cooker;

Fig. 2 a partialsection on the line ab of Fig. 1 with the pressure plate removed and a partial section on the center line of-the valve, showing also its relation to the cooker and one method of driving to maintain the timed relation or the valve andcooker. V

Fig. 3 isa'partial sectional view showing a m'odified construction as hereinafter ex what loosely in the housing ,2, secured toshaft 3 which is carried in bearing 4 at one end and stufiing box 5 at the other, pressure plates 6-7 held in contact with the rotating drum by bolts or springs and of sufliclent width'to cover two or more of the walls or plates 8 between can pockets 9, said pressure plates having packing strips 10 along their axial sides pressed outwardly by springs 11; packing rings 12 let into houslng 2, partly encircling and ressing. upon drum 1 and held at their end s by strips 13 fitted within the grooves formed to receive said rings 12 and secured to housing 2 by screws 14.

The relation of this valve to the cooker is maintained by the gear 15 mounted on shaft 3 and driven by gear 16 secured to cooker shaft 17 which supports and drives the can carrying bars 18 through the wheels 19. The bars 18 and the spirally arranged T bars 20 form the 'canway of the cooker.

The packing plates 67 are fitted within their respective chambers and are grooved along their axial sides to receive the packing strips 10 which are pressed outwardly-by the springs 11. Thetransverse sides may or packing rings 12' are fitted into grooves turnedin the housin 2, which grooves terminate the OPGHHIg 23 of housing 2 through whichthe cans pass. As the packing rings 12 are not required between the packing. plates 67 and the opening 23,

they may be terminated at the strips 13, .which, beingsecured tothe housing 2 by screws 14, serve to block the grooves and to hold the rings 12.

Ina slightly altered construction, wherein the rotating elements of the valve and 1 cooker are spaced at a greater distance, as

shown in Fig. 3, the packing rings 12 would fully encircle the drum 1, the grooves for said'rings' would not terminate in the opening 23 as this would be confined to the length of the can and the strips 13 would not be re quired.

The drum 1 fits rather loosely in the housing 2, both on its ends and periphery, to allow for the varying expansion due to unequal heating of the various parts by. the

steam used in the cooker. The drum 1 is held truly in place in bearings 4- 5.

In operation the cans are fed in at the by the shaft 3 supported inlet 24, roll into the pockets 9 of drum 1,

are carried around to and pass into thecan transporting element of the cooker. It is evident that the steam in the cooker will fill the outgoing pockets of the drum and. will escape at the inlet 24, but the amount free to enter the spaces at the ends of.

the drum 1, but is prevented from passing between the periphery of said drum and'the inner wall of the housing 2 by" the packing rings 12-12, whilethe packing plates 6- 7,

escaping by covering a relatively wide transverse section of the periphery of drum 1 between packing rings 12-12, will prevent it from around the 'peripher of drum 1.

An advantage of considerab e importance to be found in my improved valve construction is that the wear caused by the cans on the inner surface of the housing 2 will not cause leakage, and that part of said surface,

namely the packingplate 7 which is neces sary for packing against steam leakage, can

'be easily renewed, and can be lined with hard metal. i

I am aware that pocketed valves have been used for passing cans into and out of cookers but not the method of packing the valve shown herein. v a i What I claim is 1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a valve housing pro-v vided with entrance and exit openings, of a rotatable, pocketed drum; packing plates embracing two or more axial pocket walls" of said drum; and peripheral packing rings in contact with ends of said packing plates.

- 2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a valve housing provided withentrance and exit openings, of a rotatable pocketed drum; and packing plates embracing two or more axial pocket walls of said drum and provided with packing strips along their axial sides. Y

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a valve housing provided with entrance and exit openings of a rotatable, pocketed drum; packing plates embracing two'or more axial pocket walls of said-drum ;-peripheral packing rings in con-' tact with the ends of said packing plates and terminating between said packing plates and said exit opening in said valve housing;a'nd. retaining strips filling. the remainder of the said peripheral grooves provided for the packing rings.

4. Ina dev ce of the character described, the combination of a valve housin -having entrance and exit openings; a rotata le drum. having pockets for the reception of cans; one or more packingplates each embracing two or more axial pocket walls of said drum and peripheral packing rings embracing the ends of said drum.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with avalve housing having entrance and exit openings, of arotatable.

pocketed can carrying drum supported on a central shaft; and spring controlled packing plates embracing two or more axial pocket walls of said drum. I

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SENECA LUGIEN BERRY.

' .Witnesses:

ANNA BERRY, J 01m FAUIDS. 

